Italian bake recipe is a delicious recipe, simple and quick to prepare, made with pasta, marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and other ingredients.
Italian bake recipe has always been my favourite since inception, this recipe is great for a weeknight family treat. It is always a different game with my family. Usually, a weeknight family treat is done fortnightly and we do have varieties of different meals available and we eat to stupor. But for every family weekend treat, this recipe has always been my choice. I barely pick other meals. I always look forward to weeknight family treats. I do not always want this treat because I get to pick and eat any meal of my choice and I bet that I do not regret picking this recipe over and over again.
Aside from the fact that I love this recipe because it tastes so yummy, delicious, fluffy, soft and perfect, the kids also love it. Kids can be very picky with meals but when it comes to this recipe, they do not get picky, they love it. This is because it’s not overly spicy and has all the foods younger children like to eat.
If you double the recipe, this is also a wonderful meal to bring to covered dishes and potluck dinner. In fact, I do not need to keep telling you how best and superb this recipe tastes, you should give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Nutritional fact
Calories: 410 Kcl, Total Fat: 12g, Protein: 21g, Total Carbohydrate: 54g, Sugars C: 9g
Ingredients
1 package uncooked pasta, like penne, ziti, rotini or rigatoni
4 cups marinara sauce, homemade or purchased
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
How to prepare
Step 1:
Cook the pasta in generously salted water 3 minutes less than recommended on the package, and drain well.
Step 2:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray, and pour 2 cups of the marinara sauce into the dish. Then add half of the cooked pasta and toss well.
Step 3:
Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and spoon half of the ricotta cheese in dollops over top. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and do this again for the layers ending with mozzarella cheese. Then cover the foil lightly and make sure that the foil is not resting on the cheese.
Step 4:
Allow to bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake again for another 10 to 15 minutes longer or until the center is bubbly and thoroughly heated.
Step 5:
Allow to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Tips and variations
Cooking the pasta a few minutes less than recommended on the packaging helps to keep it from getting too soft when it bakes in the oven.
Sautéed mushrooms or browned ground beef is also a good combo for this recipe.